


Tika and the Tuchola (Siren)

by LyraSaber



Series: SWTOR Ficlets [3]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game), swtor - Fandom
Genre: Gen, and a cat, leikael gets a ship, pre storyline, smugglers and starships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-08-10 06:51:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20131144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyraSaber/pseuds/LyraSaber
Summary: How a girls wreck finally gets good enough for the stars and somehow gets a cat aboard or How Leikael's adopted family decided to make her cry on Life Day.





	Tika and the Tuchola (Siren)

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place after my drabble Siren Song. edited because I somehow forgot one of the important core group members, I don't know how, feel free to judge me for that move. I also wanted to try using the languages instead of just the phrases in basic so that's also changed. Still denoted in the same way though.

Flash grinned and slapped Garen on the back as the crew of the Lady Luck stood in the shipyard looking at the fully repaired Freighter sitting there. If they were examining the interior, they would have seen the mishmash of crude, but functional amateur installed pieces and professional repairs. The ship had been developed through both into a first rate smugglers ship. Not the prettiest out there, especially with the plating patches that the astromechs had just finished welding into place; but it was fast, comfortable and most importantly had many hidden cargo pods and storage spots. You could tuck a lot of stuff in there. Someone could search the ship thoroughly but unless they already knew where to look, they wouldn't find anything. Sirasa, the ships Cathar medic, had already drawn up a map of the hides on flimsi (that way it could be destroyed with no trace as soon as it was memorized). The only thing missing was a name; the space where it would be conspicuously empty.

Garen laughed as he crossed his arms and leaned back a bit, a big smile matching the rest of the crew. "We did good on this one. Kit's gonna love it."

"She's going to completely adore it." A cheerful voice said from behind the group.

A chorus of greetings followed are Garen half-turned, "Hey Boss, looks like ya got whatever it was you were combin' the market for."

Captain Cradu Jinot, a tall, broad-shouldered grey Cathar with warm eyes, slicked back hair, absolutely no cares at all for what anyone might think of his genuine, fangs and all, grins and a far warmer personality than one might expect from a smuggler, stood just behind the crew; cradling a small box and grinning up at the ship. "Look at this, all finished and repaired, she's a real beauty, boys. You did damned good."

Flash shrugged, a little sheepishly for someone who'd been working with Cradu as long as he had. "Aw, Boss, it ain't that much of a thing. We jus' wan'd the kid to have a good Life Day now that she's back home. That's all."

Sirasa shrugged "seemed like after everything, giving the kid as much freedom as we could was the best we could do for her." The group sobered for a moment remembering when Kael had rejoined their crew after her time away and the clues they'd gotten about what had happened. Many of them blamed themselves, letting the youngest member of their little family test her skills with another crew she didn't know with no backup. They'd been trying to show they trusted her as a competent adult and Cradu, who loved his Kit like she was his own, wanted to make sure she was ready for the rest of the galaxy when she was finally ready to leave for good and had thought that a temporary job with another crew was a good way to test herself. He was on medical downtime and the job had sounded easy. His Kit could run that and get some experience with people who only knew her as another adult on the crew and then come home to the Lady Luck. it had all crumbled around her and now they wanted to try and make sure she knew she still had a place and to take care of her even more than before, if that was possible.

Garen decided to try and lighten the mood again. It was Life Day after all, even if they hadn't started their celebrations yet. "The only thing she needs is a name. Korgran's got a droid ready. Thought we'd let Kit name her. Her ship, her name"

"Where is Korgran anyways."

Flash shrugged, "Last I heard boss, he was at the range with Kit, there most of our downtime lately

Cradu nodded, Korgran had a protective streak when it came to Kit, teaching her how to use more than just the two small pistols she carried, that was just his way.

There was a small chime on a comm. Garen pulled his out and scanned the message that had come in. "Hey boss, my friend came through, got that reservation at that cantina."

Nuri and Flash instantly grinned. They did love a good cantina and most of the back rooms had been reserved for weeks, Life Day was a popular celebration. Getting a room big enough for the whole crew to celebrate off ship was impressive. Captain Cradu grinned at them, "Well then, what are we waiting for. Work's done. Time to relax, people." He grabbed his comm and sent out a quick message to Korgran and Kit and another to the rest of the crew and they all headed off to the Cantina.

* * *

Sirasa sat on the bar in the backroom and watched the celebration going on around her. The whole crew had finally shown up and their little party was in full swing. Even the new muscle was here. Their little core group of 6 plus the captain that had been together (with the exception of the Captain’s Kit) for over a decade and the other newer 7 crew members all simply celebrating living another year. Their usual outings were in the main part of a cantina, with people drifting in and out as they went about their own ways of celebrating a job well done, or a clever escape or trying to relax after a tough run or close brushes with death or whatever the job had carried. It wasn’t often that they had parties like this, so they took advantage of the time to just let loose, some of the crew had even brought in their family members or friends or lovers who were here. She’d have her work cut out for her in the morning dealing with all the hangovers, if she decided to help, since technically hangovers on shore leave were the individuals problem. 

Loud laughter burst from the other side of the room and she glanced over smiling. Kael was laughing and dancing on one of the tables with Nuri, who’d finally gotten back from wherever she’d gone with a few new tattoos, just in time to join in the celebrations with everyone. Adding a welcome home party to the celebrations added another layer of delightful chaos. They’d had more than a few drinks so it wasn't the most graceful dancing, but they were having fun. It was good to see Kael finally relaxing enough to have some fun and a few drinks with the crew again. She’d been so cautious for a long time after she rejoined the crew, there’d been a time that they thought she’d never smile again, but time and care seemed to have brought back Kit back and it never failed to make their little family smile to see her enjoying herself

The night went about as well as they could expect it to with 14 drunk spacers packed into one room, as it got later, the crew and guests began drifting off to the rooms they were staying to continue the festivities with their guests privately or just to pass out. Eventually it was just Sirasa, Kael, Flash, Garen, Korgran, Nuri Shazeo, Mirialan muscle/slicer, Uikislita “Uiki”, the Twi'lek copilot, and Captain Cradu were left. Uiki had pulled Nuri aside to update her on their plan while the rest of the group had kept Kael distracted. Even the rest of the crew who’d helped with the surprise they had planned for Kael had left this part to this core group. 

Sirasa and Flash had been talking for awhile when the captain caught their eye. He raised an eyebrow in question and after a quick glance at the rest of the crew and Kael making sure they were in good enough shape to head out, they shared a look and nodded at Cradu. He turned and nodded over to Garen who turned to Uiki, Korgran, Nuri, and Kael. “Hey, we should double check the ship, make sure everything’s locked down before we get too wasted.” They nodded and stumbled to their feet. 

“Didn’t we lock up when we left earlier?” asked Kael, just drunk enough to not remember fully. 

Flash called over across the room as everyone started moving towards the door, “Of course we did, but better to check again.”

_ “B't g's'cha uku tchhlla- wiachipa.”_ Nuri laughed, _“yakuqal ik gikchhllu kh'wabo ganá ná síla p'tychuchhi sq'ki." _

Getting moving and the water that Sirasa passed around to the group as they left the Cantina and took the shuttle taxis back to the Spaceport, helped them a bit so by the time they reached it, they were more or less sober. The crew had taken care to have the new ship put in a hanger near the Lady Luck, so Kael didn’t realize they weren’t headed toward the hanger bay. She thought they were until the group stopped and Korgran and Nuri gently took her arms. “What’s going on guys.” She asked worriedly. 

Korgran squeezed her hand “Relax_ ad’ika_, we got you a gift, but the others want to surprise you, so you’ll have to close your eyes. I won’t let you trip.” 

Kael was still just tipsy enough and trusted this group enough that she relaxed and closed her eyes. "If you run me into a wall or something, I’m going to be so mad.” That got a laugh from the rest of the group as they turned and Korgran and Nuri carefully guided her as they moved over to a different hanger. Kael could hear the door open and felt the echo of a hanger bay as they entered and moved towards the middle.

Flash walked into the Hanger carefully watching Korgran and Nuri navigate the hanger without Kael tripping over anything. The Captain had gotten that little box he’d come back from the market with again and there was some kind of gift bag that he was carrying as well. As they got near the droids waiting to add the final touches to the ship, they stopped and everyone crowded around so they could see Kaels reaction to what they believed to be the best gift ever. 

Korgran stepped back beside Cradu and Nuri moved to hold Kaels shoulder turning her to face the ship. “Alright, Kit, open your eyes.” 

Kael opened her eyes and took in the sight. The freighter, fully repaired, polished, ready for flight. Garen grinned as he watched her jaw drop. “That’s...That’s my ship...but...she’s…”

“We decided to get her finished for you. You’ve been working on her for awhile and we thought we’d get you to the stars a little faster.”

Tears started falling down Kaels cheeks as she covered her mouth in awe, she just stared at the ship. She’d thought it was wonderful when it was still junk, seeing it repaired, repainted, it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen in her life. 

Uiki leaned forward, "_ash ohk vahs dei ayy- n'olan, ash huhsi laboo a goh”_

Kael was openly crying now. They seemed to be happy tears, but Flash didn’t want to risk them being sad tears. He stepped closer to embrace her as Uiki and Nuri hugged her from the side. Sirasha leaned on Garen and Korgran stood with his arm around Cradu as they watched, Kit was clearly a bit overwhelmed by their gift. “It’s Life Day, Kit, you deserve something good, you’re family.” Sirasa stated gently. “You gonna give your new bird a name.”

“Take your time and make it a good one, Kit, she’ll be with you a good long time.” Garen murmured with a smile. He could see the shock fading from her face as a smile burst through the tears. 

“I will in a minute, get over here all of you.” She choked out pulling away from Flash a bit and turning to open her arms. Garen chuckled a bit as the group moved in for a big group hug. She held onto them for a couple minutes. Enjoying a few minutes where she could be in a hanger and feel loved and safe surrounded by her family. Eventually they all separated, and Kael stepped away from the group and walked over to the starship. She stared up at it in awe and placed a hand gently on the hull. She couldn’t believe that the beauty she’d seen in the junkyard was repaired, she’d look even more beautiful when she took to the stars. And her family had done this for her, they’d noticed her efforts, found her ship, brought it here and had it finished just so they could surprise her with it.

“Storm Siren” she murmured quietly. _ “á khoe Ichhiá Tuchola” _

“Didn’t quite catch that Kit, wanna speak up a bit.” Flash called with a laugh in his voice.

She spun around, letting herself twirl just a little bit and added a skip to her step as she moved a bit closer. "_Ichhiá Tuchola,_ Storm Siren, I’m going to call her Storm Siren. she’s been singing to me for years now. Seems like it fits.” She shot a smile at the group as Korgran gave the droid that she hadn’t noticed a signal. 

_ “cea ohk talcank.” _Uiki told Kael as the droid moved and began painting. 

_ “talnu isochhu guochiñ rapra silu p'u khoe litá dih Tchhlla- wiachipa” _Nuri whispered with a squeeze. She loved this crew. Nuri, Uiki and Sirasa were the big sisters she’d always wanted and Nuri impossibly made moments like this even better than they already were. Somehow reminding her that she was part of something bigger than even this crew without taking away from the moment at all. Kael couldn’t look away as the Aurebesh lettering appeared in neat clean lines of fresh paint on the ship. The Storm Siren. her starship! Hers! Best! Family! Ever! 

Sarisa handed her a datapad and a folded piece of flimsi, drawing her attention back to the people around her. “Everything you need for her is on the datapad and the flimsi has all her hides and how to open them.” 

Nuri looked at her with just the biggest smile. _ “p'u khoe litá ik p'ik ki tchhlla, ku khoe p'á tq'chha. Lu q'omal ik aliyana p'u gieá ní t'e p'á gie ceupa” _

“Thank you, all of you, I just...She’s wonderful. Thank you so much...I can’t even…” She was practically bouncing, ready to run in and look around. She wasn’t going to fly her until she was a bit more sober, she wanted to be sure to remember every second of their first flight together with perfect clarity, but she wanted to see everything. Before she could head in though, Cradu stopped her. 

“I know you want to see everything kit. But you got one more gift, this one is from me and Korgran.”

Korgran shrugged “Mostly you,_ riduur” _He gave her a grin, “I mostly just kept you distracted while Cradu handled everything.”

Cradu elbowed him “None of that, your idea, you’re part of the gift giving too.” The group was chuckling at their banter. When they were working, they were complete professionals, but downtime is downtime and they’d been together for a damn long time. 

Kael did bounce now, “More presents?!!” She was practically beaming. Cradu had gone a while without seeing that smile, and it didn’t show up as much as he’d like anymore. He handed over the little box he’d been carefully holding. “Here you are kit.” Kael opened the box and her eyes opened wide in surprise. Cradu made sure to take a holoimage of that moment. 

“Oh, aren't you just the most precious thing.” She cooed, gently reaching in and pulling out an incredibly tiny Manka Lynx cub. The cub blinked and stared up at her face as Kael carefully held her. “You’re just so tiny and adorable.” She looked over at him and Korgran and just seemed at a loss for words. 

“She was orphaned young, runt of the litter, she’ll need some extra care, but she’s so young that you’re the first face she’s seen, she’ll imprint on you. She’s yours for life now.” He explained. “She’s just little now, but eventually she’ll be strong enough to back you up wherever you go.”

“Loyal backup never hurts _ad’ika_. A bonded Manka, that’ll do ya well or protect your ship while you sleep or go out. Figured you’re all grown now, sooner or later you were going to strike out on your own. Ought to have a reliable ship and someone watching your back. Now, you can come back safe whenever you want anytime you leave.”

Korgran was rarely so sentimental, usually only around those he considered family like Cradu or Kael, sometimes though, the rest of their little core group got to see his sentimental side as well. The little Manka cub had rolled over in Kael’s hands and was batting at the long tips of her bangs that dropped low enough to tease. Kael seemed entranced with the tiny thing, her gaze darting between the cub and the ship like she couldn't decide which was more important for her to see first. The rest of the crew was just leaning back and watching the girl they all liked to think they helped raise coo over two gifts that were the best that her little family could get for her. 

Cradu placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. “We’re gonna head out to the shuttles, got plenty to drink so take your time. We’ll head back to the rooms when you’re done looking around. You should get a good night's rest before taking her out.” Cradu hung back for just a moment longer than the others. he brushed Kael's hair from her face. "You've got your ship now you can get back into the stars. The ground is no place for you, Kit, your feet were never meant for it. You're star-born and I can't wait to see the path you carve in them." He leaned down to kiss her forehead before walking out after the rest of his crew, giving his Kit some time to get acquainted with her ship.

Kael insisted on one more group hug before they all headed out laughing and joking. The Zabrak split from the group and leaned against the wall right outside the hanger and nodded over to Cradu while he headed out to the shuttle pad. They had an understanding. He’d have his time with his husband later, for now, Korgran would keep people from bothering their adopted daughter. They would make sure that Kael stayed safe for whatever time she’d be close enough for them to do so. 

Kael cuddled the little Manka cub to her chest and stared up at the ship. The droid had finished and she could barely stop staring at the freshly painted Aurebesh lettering clearly spelling out Storm Siren. Anyone who saw the ship would know who it belonged to. She glanced down at the bag at her feet. Korgran had taken the datapad and other things she’d been holding and tucked them into the bag with the supplies for the cub. 

She glanced down at the tiny thing again. She seemed to have worn herself out playing with Kaels hair. “I’m gonna call you Tika.” She whispered, her voice echoing in the emptiness of the hanger in the middle of the night. She picked up the bag and half in awe walked up to the ship and after pulling out the datapad and checking, she reached up and entered the code to lower the ramp stepped up and unlocked the door and for the first time walked into a ship all her own

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Any feedback is appreciated. I changed some important elements of the non basic dialogue and added a somehow forgotten character. Let me know what you think about any of this or whatever. If you know how to make it so the translation appears when you hover your mouse over the phrase, please let me know. Translations below. Comments and Kudos feed the muse.  
Translations in order of appearence: phrase - translation (language)  
*B't g's'cha uku tchhlla- wiachipa - just humor them star-blossom, (Mirialan)
> 
> *yakuqal ik gikchhllu kh'wabo ganá ná síla p'tychuchhi sq'ki - better to check twice today then look stupid tomorrow. (Mirialan)
> 
> *ad'ika - little one, son, daughter, of any age, (Mando'a)
> 
> *ash ohk vahs dei ayy- n'olan, ash huhsi laboo a goh - she's all yours star-blossom, she just needs a name. (Ryl)
> 
> *á khoe Ichhiá Tuchola - she's Storm Siren. (Mirialan)
> 
> *cea ohk talcank - That's perfect. (Ryl)
> 
> *talnu isochhu guochiñ rapra silu p'u khoe litá dih Tchhlla- wiachipa - sounds like a ship you were born for star-blossom (Mirialan)
> 
> *p'u khoe litá ik p'ik ki tchhlla, ku khoe p'á tq'chha. Lu q'omal ik aliyana p'u gieá ní t'e p'á gie ceupa - you were born to roam the stars, it is your destiny. We wanted to help you get there under your own guidance (Mirialan)
> 
> *riduur - spouse or husband (could also translate as wife, but not in this context) (Mando'a)  
All translations were collected from Mando'a dictionary (mandoa.org) and Coruscant Translator (myrpg.org)


End file.
